


To Thwart a Pirate's Plan

by goddesswan



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Enchanted Forest, Captain Duckling, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-03-08
Packaged: 2018-10-01 08:11:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10184774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goddesswan/pseuds/goddesswan
Summary: Captain Hook has plans to conspire against the Charming family. Emma intends to steal those plans.





	

“Pirates?” Queen Snow asks, her hands folded in her lap and dark brow raised skeptically.

“Yes, your majesty,”

David rises from his seat and begins pacing aggressively.

“Conspiring against us? Are you certain?” he demands sternly.

“Yes, your highness,”

“With the Evil Queen? How sure are you that they are working with her?”

“Almost positive,”

“Well, then-” her mother hesitates. And Emma doesn’t blame her. Their kingdom had managed to defeat and banish Regina some time ago. Even though they hadn’t come to a truce and her restriction from their lads wasn’t permanently guaranteed, they had felt sure they were free of her.

And while Regina’s efforts were often unpredictable, she did have a certain style. A style that would not suggest pirates. They were too dirty and unreliable for her. She leaned towards allies and aids of a more magical sort. Emma has never heard tale of a magical pirate.

So, yes, Emma understands why her mother would need a moment to collect herself.

“See if you can discover any more information and report back as quickly as possible,” her father finishes firmly.

—

Emma does not see another choice.

The dwarves returned to the castle the next morning with no new information. All they know is that there are pirates in port, the captain and his crew have spent the last two nights in the taverns by the docks, and there has been word of plotting against the kingdom.

Her parents and their confidants had spent the rest of the day debating what should be done. But not a lot of progress was made.

Unfortunately, they had no solid proof of a threat. And the pirates have no charges against them in this land. Therefore, there are no grounds to bring them in for interrogation.

The way that Emma sees it, their best bet to thwart any plans against them is to be ahead of them. To be ahead of the plans requires knowing them. And to do that, she must sneak aboard the pirate’s ship.

Her parents would entirely disapprove of this idea, she has no doubts. Thus, she must sneak out.

After a tense dinner, she makes her excuse of not feeling well and informs her parents that she will be retiring for the evening. They believe her and why wouldn’t they? The stress must simply be getting to her.

She dresses quietly in dark, understated clothing — a deep blue tunic tucked into dark grey trousers, black boots made of supple leather, and a long black cape. She plaits her long, golden hair down her back and pulls the hood over her face.

She has no hesitancy when it comes to the sneaking out part. Sneaking out of the castle is fairly simple. It’s not as if the guards are lax. She just knows their schedule very well and has a lot of practice. And if she does get caught, it’s not too hard to convince whomever to keep it a secret.

The night is mild as she steps out onto her balcony. The air is warm and still, and the moon a sliver of a crescent in the sky. She checks for guards one last time and then she scales down the castle wall.

  
The grass is still wet and the ground muddy from the morning’s rain so she is forced to walk a little more carefully, and therefore slower than she would like. But she makes it out of the castle’s grounds and into the populated streets with no complications. She walks calmly but swiftly along the dimly, lantern-lit cobblestones and keeps her body to the shadows.

Briefly, she ponders casing the taverns near the docks to see if she can get a better idea of what she’s up against but decides that time is precious. She finds an oak tree with low hanging branches that is close enough to get a good view of any of the ships along the docks but far enough as to not be suspicious.

The Jolly Roger is easy enough to spot with its yellow, red, and blue paneling. She expected something a little less… colorful from the fiercest pirate in all the realms. But what does she know about pirate ship aesthetic? This Captain Hook probably wants to be easily recognized.

From her vantage point, with the spyglass she had tucked into the inner pocket of her cape, Emma can see two men aboard the ship. Both stand at the bow conversing, one leaning against the port side and the other the head, which is lucky for her because the entrance to the Captain’s quarters looks to be located on the opposite side via a hatch near the helm. How nice of them to make things easier.

She waits at her perch, for what she estimates to be about fifteen minutes, to make sure that no one else decides to come form below deck or make themselves visible. At which point, she decides if anyone is left in any of the quarters, she’ll just have to deal with them. And if the Captain is still below, there’s not much to be done about her plan anyway.

She moves stealthily down the dock and creeps up along the starboard side of the stern. Taking a deep breath, she readies herself and then begins to climb up the ship. Carefully, she peeks her head over the ledge and sees that the two men are still occupied. She contemplates using the sleeping dust she has tucked in her boot on them but feels confident in her ability to avoid their line of sight and decides to save it in case things harrier.

With the grace of a swan, she pulls herself onto the deck and rolls onto on her stomach. After seeing that she hasn’t caught their attention, she slightly lifts her upper body and uses her forearms to pull herself along to the hatch she spied earlier.

Once she reaches the entrance, it’s as simple as lifting the lid, slowly to minimize her noise, and slipping beneath. She waits with bated breath and her hand on the handle for the sound of footsteps and sighs heavily when nothing comes.  

The cabin is nothing like she expected. First of all, it’s immaculate - no empty bottles, no rum soaked clothing strewn about, no papers littering the tables. Everything is organized neatly and even the damn bed is made, the blankets tucked in and pillows arranged artfully. What kind of pirate makes their bed? There’s also a surprising lack of grandeur that is customary amongst pirates. The color scheme is understated and other than some books and trinkets lined up orderly on the shelves, there is no clutter.

Theoretically, the cleanliness should make finding the plans much easier. But after what feels like an hour of searching, she comes to the conclusion that either there is a loose floorboard she’s missing or her target isn’t here.

She’s debating whether or not to give the room one more inspection when she hears a commanding voice from up above. She can’t quite make out what he is saying but she can tell that the man is not happy.

Panicking, she searches for a hiding spot and sees that the chest at the foot of the bed looks to be just big enough to fit her body along with the treasures inside.

Just as she shuts the lid over herself, she hears the hatch door opening and the tread of heavy feet coming down the steps. She is encased in darkness with little room to move but wills her heart to calm. She has been in dire straights before - she’s fought a dragon for gods' sake - and she’ll be damned if she lets a dirty pirate get the best of her.

He’s in a foul mood if the sound of him slamming and throwing things about is to go by and she resigns herself to a long night in the chest. But then she hears him climb into bed and settle himself down to sleep. She breathes a soundless sigh of relief. If she waits for him to fall sleep she can slip out undetected, hopefully before his crew returns.

After a while, with no sound from the captain or any other crew members, she readies herself to leave. She carefully lifts the lid and pulls herself out of the chest. Glancing to the side she sees that he is sound asleep, his chest rising and falling steadily with his slow breath.

Her first thought upon seeing Captain Hook is _that’s really unfair_. His dark hair is tousled against his forehead, long eyelashes casting shadows against his cheeks, and lips parted softly. He’s too pretty to be a pirate.

She turns to leave but spots his long black coat hanging over one of the dining chairs. She’s checked every inch of this room. The only thing she has yet to examine is his person.

She assesses him one more time to make sure he hasn’t awoken and then crouches down beside the chair. The leather of the coat feels buttery beneath her fingers as she runs her hands along the pockets.

“If you wanted my company, lass, you needn’t sneak aboard The Jolly. All you had to do was ask.”

Her blood runs cold. _How did he move so silently?_ She hadn’t even heard the creak of the bed.

She’s tempted to not turn around and make a dash for the exit. But undoubtedly he is armed and she is unsure she will make it away before he catches her or alerts the other men aboard. So she stands smoothly and angles her face in his direction.

Of course, his eyes are a stunning blue. What sort of handsome pirate would he be without enchanting eyes?

“Looking for this?” he queries with a devilish smirk on his lips and a cocked brow that lets her know he already has an answer to his question.

She pulls her shoulders back and eyes him coolly.

“Possibly.”

“Why shouldn’t I kill you this instant?” he challenges, brushing his hook down the column of her throat.

“It’s not me you should be angry with,” she responds.

“No?” he slants his head to the side and rests the hook on her shoulder.

“If your crew weren’t so lax, I wouldn’t have been able to sneak on board,” she shrugs lightly. “Maybe they need a firmer hand from their captain.”

“Are you suggesting that I’m not enough of a threat to my crew?” he asks, voice low and the look on his face telling her that she doesn’t want to give him the wrong answer.

Emma really should stop but she’s already in deep enough and doesn’t see things getting any better — even if she tries to kiss his ass.

“I’m just saying if they were under a strict enough rule, they wouldn’t have been lazing around chatting and we wouldn’t be in this situation,” she retorts.

She’s expecting a slap across the face but he surprises her by throwing his head back and laughing.

“That’s a new one,” he chuckles and leans back to eye her up and down.

“I’m sure my mother could give you some tips,” she offers. “She’s excellent at running a _tight ship_.”

“And she’d give this advice freely? To a pirate?” His blue eyes are sparkling and she’s better than this but she’s slightly mesmerized.

“If her daughter’s life is so be spared, I’m sure she’ll offer just about anything.”

His eyes crinkle with silent laughter and it snaps her out of his enthrall. _Is this man serious?_ He looks as if he’s chatting with a friend, not threatening the life of the crown princess who just smuggled herself aboard his ship.

“Look, I don’t know what sort of sick amusement you’re getting from this but a man with honor would be better than to toy with a person he intends to kill,” she reprimands, crossing her arms over her chest and jutting her chin out.

“Is that so?” he questions his eyes hardening slightly. “What make you think there are any men of honor here?”

“Is there not honor amongst thieves?”

His eyes suddenly soften again and she’s having trouble keeping up with the shifts in his mood.

“I’m a bit torn here,” he begins and casts his gaze around the room. “You see, I’d rather not kill you-”

“Then don’t.”

“But I can’t very well let you lose with the risk that you’ve gained any information that could harm me or my crew.” He finishes and raises his brows as if to say “you see?”

“You have your plans in your hand’s,” she insists. “You know I have no knowledge of them.”

“Ahh, but you’re a smart lass” he contests. “I don’t know how much you’ve seen of my ship or what you’ve overheard from my ‘lax crew.’”

“I went straight from the deck of your ship to this cabin and as for your crew, the only thing I overheard from them were some lewd comments that I’d rather not repeat,” she defends.

He begins to contemplate her words and she interrupts his thought by saying, “Just answer me this, what to you intend to gain from your alliance with the Evil Queen? If it’s riches you want, my parents can provide you that once you let me go and promise that you won’t harm us.”

“It’s not treasure I’m after,” he intones, eyes unfocused.

“Then what?”

“ _Revenge_ ,” he snarls with a glint of blood lust in his eyes.

“What sort of vendetta could you possibly have against our kingdom?” she inquires, looking aghast.

“I have no qualms with your kingdom,” he informs her. “My vengeance can only be obtained with the death of The Dark One. And the Queen has information that will help me greatly with that.”

“And there is no other way?” she asks, her eyes wide and brimming with emotion. “Then to help harm people that have done nothing to you? You’re willing to let a land full of innocent people suffer to get your revenge?”

“What other choice could I possibly have lass?” he requests, his face pleading with her to understand. “The Dark One is all powerful and practically invincible. After hundreds of years of searching, this is the closest I’ve gotten to any sort of solution.”

“Maybe… maybe I can help you,” she says hesitantly. “Maybe my family can help you.”

“How do you intend to do that?” he challenges.

“I don’t have an answer to that question yet,” she replies and her voice strengthens. “But my family is also at odds with Rumpelstiltskin and would certainly benefit from his downfall. If you give us time, I’m sure we will figure something out. As you said before, I’m smart and so are my parents. You’ll have a full kingdom at your disposal. And… I’ve got magic.”

“Magic, huh? That is interesting. Why haven’t you just teleported yourself off my ship then?”  
  
“I’m not at my full potential yet,” she states. “I’ve only just begun learning how to control it. But I am powerful and I will learn. And I’m positive that someday soon I could be of great advantage to you.”

“You make a very compelling argument, love,” he responds, his eyes once again losing focus as he ponders this new information.

“At least, do me the courtesy of meeting with my parents and seeing what they have to offer. If you don’t like what they have to say, you can turn them down and continue down the path you’re on. But it’s possible that we can be of aid. And I know you’re a pirate but I sense that there is a good man in you. You can attain your revenge without harming our people.”

“Alright, Princess. You’ve got yourself a deal.”

He offers out his hand and she grabs it firmly, expecting him to shake it. He takes her by surprise when he instead brings her hand to his mouth and gives it a gentle kiss.

When he lowers her hand, she stands taken aback, mouth agape and cheeks tinged pink.

“Come on now, lass,” he smirks and tugs her hand, walking towards the ladder to the deck. “We have a counsel with a King and Queen that we mustn’t miss.”

“Hey!” she shouts as he starts his climb up the ladder.

“Yes?” he responds with an impish grin.

“How did you know I was in here?”

“I’m a very light sleeper,” he informs her but when she squints her eyes at him he changes course “…and I saw part of you cape hanging out of my chest.”

“You knew I was here the whole time? And you let me stay cramped in there for that long?”

“Well, I wanted to see if I could lull you into a false sense of complacency and make it easier to discover what your intentions were aboard The Jolly.”

At her look of indignation, he howls with laughter.

“Don’t worry, love,” he placates. “If I were any other swashbuckler, your plan would have worked spectacularly. But I’m more clever than your common pirate.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was a CS secret santa gift for imhookedonaswan on Tumblr.


End file.
